Put This On

A few more photos from the StyleForum 10th Anniversary -...

jessethorn — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:17:00 -0700

A few more photos from the StyleForum 10th Anniversary - including me with the fine gentlemen from On the Fly and The Hanger Project, and our friend Gianluca Migliarotti (the producer of our upcoming Milan episodes and director of O’Mast), and one of me with my mom. (Hi, mom!)

The group shot is the rare group photograph in which I appear to be under-dressed.

You can check out some more over at The Rake.

Via Kottke and nyer photo booth, bootleggers’ Cow...

jessethorn — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:03:20 -0700

Via Kottke and nyer photo booth, bootleggers’ Cow Shoes:

A new method of evading prohibition agents was revealed here today by A.L. Allen, state prohibition enforcement director, who displayed what he called a “cow shoe” as the latest thing front the haunts of moonshiners.

The cow shoe is a strip of metal to which is tacked a wooden block carved to resemble the hoof of a cow, which may be strapped to the human foot. A man shod with a pair of them would leave a trail resembling that of a cow.

The shoe found was picked up near Port Tampa where a still was located some time ago. It will be sent to the prohibition department at Washington. Officers believe the inventor got his idea from a Sherlock Holmes story in which the villain shod his horse with shoes the imprint of which resembled those of a cow’s hoof.

eBay Roundup Here’s another eBay Roundup for your...

derekguypto — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:53:24 -0700

eBay Roundup

Here’s another eBay Roundup for your consideration. This one was put together with a little help from our pal, the RJcat, who has his own offers and deals here. If you’d like to find other good auctions, use our search links for excellent suits, good suits, and high-end footwear.

Suits, sport coats, and blazers

Outerwear

Sweaters and knits

Berk green vest, L

Shirts and pants

Shoes

Ties

J Press geometric tie
Charles Hill striped tie
Bowring Arundel green ducks tie
Barneys navy dotted tie
Drake’s navy dotted tie (I believe crystal weave, not raw silk)
Sulka paisley tie
Kiton navy tie
Charles Hill red paisley tie

Bags, briefcases, and wallets

Misc.

If you want access to an extra roundup every week, exclusive to members, join Put This On’s Inside Track for just five bucks a month.

The Summer Panama Hat Tomorrow, May 15th, is Straw Hat Day in...

derekguypto — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:04:00 -0700

The Summer Panama Hat

Tomorrow, May 15^th, is Straw Hat Day in the United States. This marks the day when men are supposed to put away their felt hats and dust off their straw ones. There are a number of designs in this field, but the king of them all, to my mind, is the Panama.

Despite its name, the Panama actually comes from Ecuador, where they’re still being made. It’s a specialized cottage industry there, at least for the best handmade, hand-woven versions. Unfortunately, new blood isn’t entering the trade, so as the artisans who do this kind of work die off each year, the prices for the finest Panamas goes up.

In some ways, the Panama is rather simple. It has a crown, brim, and usually a black ribbon. The quality of the hat is judged on the suppleness of the fibers and the fineness of the weave. The best versions, for example, are Monticristis, which are so finely woven and supple, they can almost feel like linen cloth. Imagine the production process – someone cuts down and prepares the fibers from long-stalked jipijapa plants, selects out the best ones, and then sends them to someone to “cut” the stalks into thin fibers with their fingernails. These “threads” are then woven together by hand to form the hat, and the blocking is either done by machine or hand, depending on the quality that is sought.

The best Panama suppliers I know of are Panama Bob, Panama Hat Company, Optimo, and Lock & Co. Many consider the first two to give the best value, but if you’re just buying your first Panama, it can be useful to find a hat store in your city, so that you can try one on in person and see which models you like best. Expect to pay about $100-125 for the most basic versions.

Put This On's Inside Track for the week of May 14th - May 20th

derekguypto — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:36:23 -0700

Here are our hand-selected favorites from eBay for this week. If you’re a member of the Inside Track, click through, and log in with your Member.ly username and password. If you’re not a member, you can join now for just $5 a month - you’ll get access to one of these members-only lists every week, and your membership supports Put This On.

See the rest →

This is the kind of important insider information that Put This...

jessethorn — Sun, 13 May 2012 19:10:46 -0700

This is the kind of important insider information that Put This On readers crave.

COMEDY GENIUS and PTO SEASON ONE GUEST DVD COMMENTATOR Paul F. Tompkins shares a hat size with COMEDY GENIUS and BRILLIANT PODCASTER Dave Shumka.

And me. Also: ME.

ONE HAT SIZE TO RULE THEM ALL.

daveshumka:

paulftompkins:

Listening to the latest episode of Stop Podcasting Yourself and heard co-host Dave Shumka mention his hat size.

7 and 3/8 buddies!

What thrift stores in LA do you shop at?

Sun, 13 May 2012 16:22:25 -0700

Wouldn’t you like to know?

Our friend, Mistah Wong, demonstrates what clean fitting shirt...

derekguypto — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:45:00 -0700

Our friend, Mistah Wong, demonstrates what clean fitting shirt should look like (as well as how to clean your teeth). Remember: too tight is often just as bad as too baggy.

(source: Most Exerent)

hello! i had a quick question. when i went to my tailor for a suit jacket and i paid 90$. is that normal? i asked for waist supression, take up the sleeve length, and tapering of the arms. he said it was high in price because he had to redo the 3 seams (it was a center vent) .. was that a decent price? the suit jacket is fantastic in fit now though.

Sun, 13 May 2012 10:46:29 -0700

That sounds about right.

Here’s our guide to about what alterations cost.

A Good Day’s Thrifting After working every day for a few...

jessethorn — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:15:00 -0700

A Good Day’s Thrifting

After working every day for a few weeks straight, I took a few hours yesterday to pursue some hobby time. I hopped in the car and headed for the west side of Los Angeles to do some thrifting.

I live in East LA, where there are plenty of thrift stores, but precious little quality menswear on the racks therein. The reason’s simple - no rich people, no rich people clothes. There are some thrift chains that distribute across a region, rather than store-by-store, and there are always scores available everywhere, but the percentages are best in nice stores in affluent areas.

I ended up with the pile above. The Polo suit is older, probably from the 1980s, made in the USA, in a beautiful gray birdseye. Perfect fit and a very classic style, especially for a big tall guy like myself. I find myself drawn to Polo from the mid-80s and before, when it was inspired by classic styles of the 1930s and ’40s. The better-quality pieces have held up with time, as well. This suit will require a letting out in the waist and taking up in the sleeves and trousers, but both of those are easily done by my tailor. It set me back $40.

I found the pocket squares in the ladies’ scarves section of one of my favorite thrifts. It’s always worth taking a peek there - pocket squares are usually about 15 or 16 inches square, and scarves for women tend to be much larger, so it’s easy to spot the difference. Only one of the ones I picked up had a brand (also Polo), but all are great options, and they were only five bucks each.

The ties came from a Goodwill that’s been very productive for me in the past. The green striped one was the first I found - I spotted its Kiton tag from across the room. The rest are made by Paul Stuart (in England), Facconable (by Breuer, in France), Brooks Brothers Makers and Andrew of Milano. There was another Kiton, stained, that I left on the rack.

The trip represented visits to six stores, and I shopped at two of them. I spent a total of about $75 (plus another $15 on baby clothes, not pictured). Not bad for half a day’s work.

thisfits: Here’s the fam, pre-O’Mast screening. I’ve got...

jessethorn — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:42:10 -0700

thisfits:

Here’s the fam, pre-O’Mast screening.

I’ve got a new favorite photo from the StyleForum 10th Anniversary Celebration!

rawkblog: Put This On outtakes, 2010.

jessethorn — Sat, 12 May 2012 09:07:39 -0700

rawkblog:

Put This On outtakes, 2010.

maxminimus: Old England, Paris. R.I.P. The closing of the...

jessethorn — Sat, 12 May 2012 07:42:11 -0700

maxminimus:

Old England, Paris. R.I.P.

The closing of the legendary menswear retailer Old England and the rumored sale of another legend, Arnys to LVMH means that when I finally get the chance to visit Paris, it won’t be the Paris I’d hoped to visit.

eBay Roundup This might be one of my favorite roundups to date....

derekguypto — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:00:14 -0700

eBay Roundup

This might be one of my favorite roundups to date. There are a bunch of items I wanted to keep for myself, such as these Mabitex tan trousers, Drake’s ties, and the awesome madras shirt you see above. I also like our footwear selections today, as well as the swimming trunks we’ve listed at the end.

As always, remember that you can search for more good auctions by using our special links for excellent suits, good suits, and high-end footwear. You can also use the sizing filters on eBay’s page to narrow the searches even further.

Suits, sport coats, and blazers

Outerwear

Sweaters and knits

Alan Paine tan v-neck sweater, 38
Alan Paine cardigans, 40 and 42 (burgundy, brown)
Club Monaco navy cardigan, M
Cucinelli Fair Isle sweater, M
Pringle tan cabled cardigan, L

Shirts and pants

Brooks Bros. Black Fleece shirts, various sizes
Cordings blue checked shirt, 15
Bugger awesome madras shirt, S (pictured above)
Charvet blue shirts, 16 (checked, striped)
Woolrich denim shirt, L
Thom Browne checked button down, L
Epaulet checked button down shirt, L
Phineas Cole checked shirt, 17
Brooks Bros. Black Fleece puppytooth shirt, XL
Oxxford brown trousers, ~30
Epaulet Rivet chinos, 34 (French blue, light blue)
Ralph Lauren grey corduroys, 34
Mabitex tan trousers, 34
Levis 1947 LVCs (34, 36)

Shoes

Ties

Bags, briefcases, and wallets

Misc.

If you want access to an extra roundup every week, exclusive to members, join Put This On’s Inside Track for just five bucks a month.

How Colors Make Us Buy

jessethorn — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:55:45 -0700

In an episode of one of my favorite radio shows, the CBC’s Under The Influence, host Terry O’Reilly takes us on a tour of how colors influence our buying decisions.

When it comes to the subject of persuasion, each colour carries very specific meanings.

Take the colour Red. It is one of the most passionate colours. It connotes action, adventure, fire, lust, anger, courage and rebellion, for example.

Therefore, it is a colour best used for action-oriented products and brands. Red, for example, is the predominant colour in the Virgin logo - which is perfect for that brand, as founder Richard Branson is definitely adventurous and rebellious.

Blue stands for security, trust, productivity and calmness of mind. As a result, blue is the colour of choice for UN flag.

Orange is a colour that suggests value and discounts. Online bank ING has branded itself as orange, no doubt, in part, to remind you of their promise of reduced banking fees.

Green represents freshness. Think the Jolly Green Giant and Subway.

For centuries, purple symbolized nobility and wealth.

The colour Brown is earthy, and contains feelings of honesty and dependability. UPS began using brown in 1916 -because in the world of package delivery, the name of the game is dependability.

Yellow stands for sunny warmth, cheeriness, fun and optimism. Black is really the absence of all colour, but is a colour of authority, power and luxury.

White has a feeling of lightness, and is the reason why most planes are painted this colour. It soothes the concern we all secretly harbour that a machine that size can’t possibly become airborne.

When I was in San Francisco the other day, I was riding the BART...

jessethorn — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:29:36 -0700

When I was in San Francisco the other day, I was riding the BART train to my mom’s house. Somewhere around the 16th & Mission statement, this couple started looking at me.

“Why are these people mad dogging me?” I thought. I was tempted to get up in their face, but instead, I tried to avoid eye contact. 18 years as a City kid taught me to avoid those kinds of confrontations unless absolutely necessary.

We got to my mom’s stop, 24th Street, and it turned out to be their stop, too.

I was behind them, and I noticed the woman was carrying an Archival Clothing musette.

“Oh.” I thought, a little embarassed. “They were probably just wondering if I was the Put This On guy.” The demographic to whom I am a public figure is narrow, but it definitely includes people carrying Archival Clothing bags. Felt kinda bad about that.

ANYWAY…

Our pals at Archival Clothing make beautiful, high-quality bags and clothes in simple, utilitarian designs. They’re a little expensive, but only because they’re made right, not because they’re taking a crazy designer mark-up. They’re having an odds-and-ends sale to ease their move into a new space, so if you’re in Oregon, you should definitely stop by May 18th. It’s at 445 Lincoln Street in Eugene, and will run from noon to seven. You might score a great deal. Or accidentally pick a fight.

"Old men wearing floppy-brimmed hats are cooler than young men no matter what they wear."

jessethorn — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:44:54 -0700

“Old men wearing floppy-brimmed hats are cooler than young men no matter what they wear.”

- Michael Ian Black

By the way - I interviewed Black about his wonderful new book on fatherhood and marriage for my public radio show, Bullseye. It’s one of my favorites in recent months, and very much worth a listen. Black is eloquent and funny about the hardest parts of being a man, including the ones that are rarely talked about publicly. It’s wonderful instruction on the subject of being a grownup.

Q and Answer: Can I Alter a Sweater? Hayden asks: Can you alter...

derekguypto — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:00:00 -0700

Q and Answer: Can I Alter a Sweater?

Hayden asks: Can you alter a sweater? Looking at getting a cashmere sweater on eBay but the pictures make it look kind of full in the stomach area. Thanks for your time.

You generally can. Most wool, cashmere, and natural fiber knits can be altered in order to give a better fit. This includes “fine knits” (small stitched, machine-made items) and knits of medium and heavier weight yarns. Synthetic and wool-synthetic blends, on the other hand, often don’t lend themselves easily to the re-knitting process.

Typical alterations include shortening the sleeves, hems, and turtlenecks. This is done by going in and removing a section of the fabric, then grafting the pieces together stitch by stitch. To imagine how this is done, imagine a knitter working like a jeweler, “re-setting” each stitch carefully one-by-one. In the end, the item looks just like it did originally, with sleeves and hems retaining the same cuffs and finished edges. The only difference is that the measurements are made to the correct lengths.

When items need to be made smaller overall or taken in at the stomach, it’s best to have a tailor pin the item for alteration, as if they were going to do a regular sewn alteration. The pinning starts at the top by picking up the shoulders and sleeve caps, then goes to the body along the side seams. The alteration is then done by serging, which is a three or four thread machine-made seam that secures the fabric. The process isn’t too unlike how you would take in the excess fabric on a baggy shirt.

Of course, the world is full of different knits. Occasionally, items are not good candidates for alteration. These can include ones with emblems, beading, pockets, or other such items at the places were alteration needs to take place. Some machine-sewn seams are also unique and cannot be duplicated. Additionally, if you have a knit made of tubular construction, you can have the sleeves, hems, and turtlenecks shortened, but the knitter will have to open up the garment and create side seams if you need it to be taken in through the body and/ or sleeves. You may also be looking at a more expensive job if the knit is made of smaller stitches, or if there are patterns (either in stitch or color) that the knitter has to work with. Given this, whether you can alter a particular knit is really something that should be decided on a case-to-case basis.

These days, I buy many of my solid-colored, basic knits the way I buy my shirts. I make sure it fits well at the chest, shoulders, and sleeves, and then I figure I can take in the sides for about $14 at my tailor’s. Of course, those other areas can be altered as well (just as they can on a shirt), if you need them to, but it just adds to the cost.

As you can guess, the quality of this work greatly depends on the experience and skill of the tailor you’re working with. To find a good knit alterations tailor, contact a high-end men’s clothing store that has an alterations department. Ask who they recommend for these services. If you find someone who does reknitting on their own, ask for references to stores they provide services to, and check those references. You may also want to send in your lower-quality knits in first, so that you can examine the quality of their work. It may take more effort to find someone who specializes in knits, but when you do, they can help you transform those baggy sweaters into perfectly-fitting ones.

(Photo by Voxsartoria)

joegannon: TSxEF These were my favorite single item on the...

jessethorn — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:23:39 -0700

joegannon:

TSxEF

These were my favorite single item on the floor at the StyleForum 10 vendor showcase. If they’d been fitted rather than adjustable (albeit with a nice leather strap), I’d have bought one on the spot.

thesilentist: This is the only photo I took during the...

jessethorn — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:19:24 -0700

thesilentist:

This is the only photo I took during the StyleForum 10th Anniversary Celebration.

That’s right! I’m wearing blue jeans!